Bangladesh launched its first ever 'National WASH Accounts' Report
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), with technical support from WaterAid Bangladesh, released the groundbreaking 'National WASH Accounts 2020' report, taking a crucial step towards understanding water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) expenditure and investments trends in Bangladesh, and to develop better policies and practices to achieve sustainable development goal (SDG) 6.
The report revealed that in 2020, WASH sector expenditure was BDT 598 billion which is 2.18% of the country's total gross domestic product (GDP). Around BDT 172 billion which is 28% of the total WASH spending was on capital investment for building new water supply, sanitation of hygiene services, including hardware and software costs such as the procurement of pipes or paying for detailed design or associated training. Households spent an average of BDT 11,574 annually for WASH, with BDT 1,502 allocated to water, BDT 1,985 to sanitation, and BDT 8,087 to hygiene. Notably, this represented 4.3% of citizens' annual household income which is around BDT 471 billion in total. The distribution of household WASH expenditure showed that low-income households in both urban and rural areas dedicated a substantial portion of their income to WASH.
Honourable Minister of Ministry of Planning. Mr M A Mannan, MP, graced the launching ceremony as its Chief Guest, and reiterated the government's commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030, particularly SDG6, which focuses on ensuring access to safe and affordable water and sanitation for all. He stated, "The Government of Bangladesh is committed to progressing in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector. As part of achieving the SDG, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics will continue to regularly update the 'National Wash Accounts' in the future to develop evidence-based planning and policies in the WASH sector as well as increase transparency and accountability".
Dr Shahnaz Arefin, NDC, Secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division, highlighted the crucial role of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in providing essential data for effective policymaking, stating, "The successful implementation of 'TrackFin' guidelines further strengthens our comprehensive planning and evidence-based development in the WASH sector".
Mr Mustakim Billah Faruqui, Additional Secretary of the Local Government Division, emphasised the necessity of meticulous planning and allocation of resources for achieving SDG 6, acknowledging the challenges arising from the unclear expenditure patterns within the WASH sector.
Mr Khairul Islam, Regional Director - South Asia, WaterAid, underscored the significance of the integrated approach used in preparing the 'National WASH Accounts' and its potential to enhance the tracking and planning of sector spending, stating, "This benchmarking initiative will contribute significantly to evidence-based decision-making for investments to be made in future".
Ms Hasin Jahan, Country Director, WaterAid Bangladesh, expressed optimism about the impact of the 'National Wash Accounts,' emphasising the potential for accelerating the current development trend in the WASH sector through sustainable resource management and targeted financing, saying, "The formulation and adoption of National Wash Accounts will ensure the sustainable and equitable management of water resources with appropriate financing to implement integrated development plan".
This launching ceremony, held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on 29 October 2023, was attended by representatives from various public and private institutions, development aid organisations, academicians, researchers, journalists, as well as officials from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and WaterAid Bangladesh. The event officially started with a welcoming speech from Mr Parimal Chandra Bose, Deputy Director General, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Later, the Focal Point of the National WASH Accounts and, Mr Alamgir Hossen, presented the main aspect of the National WASH Accounts 2020 report.
After the inauguration of the report, Dr Dipankar Roy, Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics moderated an open discussion on the presentation and report. The 'National WASH Accounts 2020' report in Bangladesh signifies a praiseworthy step in the WASH sector and would serve as an enabler towards making ensuring adequate support structures. The report’s key findings highlight the importance of transparent planning and accountability. This milestone underscores the nation's dedication to spreading knowledge and awareness on the current WASH situation, ensuring universal coverage of WASH, and improving lives of citizens. As a chair of the launching ceremony Mr Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Director General, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) thanked everyone for joining this esteem event.
This event got huge media attention, click here to see the media coverage; you may also watch the recorded live of the entire event on WaterAid Bangladesh’s Facebook page.
